


Halls Of Science

by lunalikespace



Series: Don't Say Goodbye (ChellDOS) [3]
Category: Portal (Video Game)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, andriod glados, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:48:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29516244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunalikespace/pseuds/lunalikespace
Summary: GLaDOS and Chell venture down to the abandoned parts of Aperture for some soul-searching
Relationships: Chell/GLaDOS
Series: Don't Say Goodbye (ChellDOS) [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1958686
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	Halls Of Science

GLaDOS had done everything she could to prepare for the journey she was about to take. Fitted in her brand new mobile android body, she was finally ready to take the next step. She had performed a multitude of tests to ensure that her physical form was up for the job. While she hated being in the body—it looked too much like disgusting humans—she knew it was necessary to be able to actually get to the abandoned parts of Aperture. That part of the facility was sealed off long shortly after she was activated and therefore was unreachable from her precious chassis. 

Having Chell back at Aperture was a huge relief for GLaDOS. Chell was by far her most outstanding test subject; should any surprises unveil she trusted Chell to get them both out of danger safely. GLaDOS watched her first hand, if they were in trouble Chell would be the one to get them out. And, GLaDOS was secretly thankful she didn’t have to go alone. She had no idea what to expect and having someone there was comforting. Not that she needed it. 

It had been a couple of weeks since Chell had returned to Aperture. The two of them had been gearing up for the journey to old Aperture. GLaDOS fixed up and upgraded her new android form to the best of her abilities while Chell practiced with portals. GLaDOS refused to formally test her, but she couldn’t stop herself from watching Chell in one of the practice rooms while she refamiliarized herself with some of the testing elements. 

GLaDOS stood from an observation deck as she watched Chell in the room below. She was practicing with the gels since they seemed abundant in the older parts of the facility. She ran with propulsion gel under her boots to get used to the way it felt again, less they came across any. GLaDOS watched over the former test subject with a sense of admiration. She’d be lying if she said she didn't enjoy watching Chell. Her movements were so fluid and precise, never off even slightly. She was the best for a reason, after all. Chell made testing look like art. 

GLaDOS was ripped from her thoughts by the woman in question looking up at her from the practice room, hands on her hips. “How long are you gonna stare at me?” She asked, a slight grin on her face. GLaDOS could hear her of course, from the camera and microphone within the room. All rooms in Aperture Science had them, most subjects talked to GLaDOS while she tested them. But just like in the way she moved, Chell was different. 

“I was  _ not _ staring. Trust me, there isn’t much to look at.” GLaDOS retaliated back over the intercom so Chell could hear her, and with a slight flush from being caught. “Now get back up here, I intended on heading out soon.” 

Chell rolled her eyes and took the lift back up to where GLaDOS was. She walked into the room with her trusty portal gun resting in her hands. 

“Are you ready for this?” GLaDOS asked. 

Chell nodded, with that gleam of determination in her eyes.  _ She never gives up, ever. _

GLaDOS nodded back. Chell followed her wordlessly down the hallway, all the way to the chassis room where GLaDOS’s former metallic body hung lifeless from the ceiling. She avoided eye contact with her own faceplate because it honestly freaked her out a little. GLaDOS’s android body was still wirelessly connected to the facility and she could therefore still perform any tasks she would have before, such as calling the lift up. 

As she waited for the elevator, GLaDOS turned to Chell. “The elevator isn’t meant to reach the very bottom of the pit and it will only take us so far down. Once we’re there we’re going to have to walk the rest of the way. I have no idea how long we’re gonna be down there. Are you sure you're up for this?” 

“I’m ready.” Chell said, nodding again. 

GLaDOS swallowed the lump in her throat. “Good. Me too.” 

  
  
  


The elevator ride down was silent. Chell didn’t seem to mind, but GLaDOS hated it. Her mind ran wild with curiosity of what she would find down there. If she was being honest, she wasn’t fully sure why she was doing this, she just felt like some part of her deep down needed to go back, needed to find answers.  _ Who was she? _

GLaDOS shook her head to make her mind stop. She looked over at Chell in the cramped elevator. Chell stared forward blankly, or occasionally fiddled with her portal gun. She looked calm and collected. Normally, GLaDOS looked that way too, but she could feel the anxiety pumping through her artificial veins. 

Chell glanced over at her, “Are you okay?” She asked, looking concerned. 

“I’m fine.” GLaDOS snapped. 

Chell let the subject go but her eyes still spoke for her,  _ I don’t believe you. _

Chell began, changing the topic, “So, if you don’t mind me asking—”

“Which I do, but proceed,” GLaDOS interrupted.

Chell frowned but continued, “What exactly are you looking for?” 

GLaDOS looked at her companion beside her. Chell wasn’t asking with malicious intent. She looked concerned, and she looked like she cared. GLaDOS sighed, “I don’t know.” 

Chell nodded, knowingly. They hadn’t spoken about what had happened last time they were down there. Neither of them brought up the discovery about GLaDOS’s fate and neither of them dared to say Caroline’s name. But they both knew she was the reason they were going back. 

The pair rode the rest of the way in silence. 

  
  
  


The elevator came to a soft stop and the automatic door slid open. GLaDOS and Chell looked at each other momentarily before GLaDOS took her first step out. It was clear they had landed in some sort of holidng room for test subjects, apparent by the 60’s style waiting room. GLaDOS and Chell both began looking around the room, trying to find somewhere to go that would lead them to the employee working area. 

“Bingo.” Chell called over her shoulder. 

GLaDOS walked briskly across the room to where Chell was at. She was standing before an opening that led to a hallway. Across the wall in paint that was chipping read the words  _ main offices - employees only _ . GLaDOS looked at Chell and grinned. 

The pair walked down the hallway in more silence, with only the slight humming of Chell’s portal gun filling up the quiet walkway. The end of the hallway was lined with two doors. Chell glanced over at GLaDOS and pushed them open, before gesturing to her to go first. She took a deep breath through artificial lungs and walked into the room. 

The room was filled to the brim with cubicles. GLaDOS sighed, at best she’d probably find notes on herself as a science experiment, which was dehumanizing in its own special way, but it still piqued her curiosity. Chell wandered over in one direction, looking through cabinet files, and GLaDOS started at the desks. As she walked down an aisle, she took note of things on the vacant counters. Some had blueprints for early versions of test chamber tech, others with actual wires and metal pieces scattered around. 

She continued down the aisle finding nothing worthwhile, except a door at the end of the room. She looked over her shoulder at Chell, who was still looking through papers and files, and opened the door. 

The door had opened up to a small room with minimal furniture. There was one desk and one filing cabinet. GLaDOS walked over to the desk, which appeared to be almost empty and had thick layer of dust coating it. The dull nameplate was almost unreadable because of it. GLaDOS picked it up and brushed the dust off with her hand. 

_ Caroline _

GLaDOS flinched as the nameplate hit the floor with a  _ clang _ . She stared at it for a moment, before turning her attention back to the desk. Nothing was to be found on it except a pencil holder and a mostly empty planner. Coming around to the back, GLaDOS began opening every desk drawer and rifling through the contents. 

She went through every drawer except the middle one, which was conveniently locked, and found nothing. The floor was covered in papers, mostly regarding meetings and finances and things of that nature. Caroline was just a simple secretary, after all. 

GLaDOS’s next move was the filing cabinet in the corner of her small office. It was organized neatly by topic so she skipped over anything unimportant. Looking at one of the folders, GLaDOS’s breath caught in her throat and she froze. In front of her eyes laid a folder titled with her own name on it. She snatched it out of the drawer and opened it on Caroline’s desk. 

She was expecting and wasn’t surprised when the file was deemed mostly useless. There were various reports on the progress of constructing the Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System, costs and receipts for materials, information on the coding and wiring, but nothing on her own activation. Of course there wouldn’t have been, not in her office. Caroline wouldn’t have been the one taking notes.    
  
GLaDOS shut the folder and continued to search haphazardly through the file cabinet. She deemed nothing else of importance and almost gave up, before she heard something clang against the metal when she shoved one of the drawers shut. She opened it again to find, buried at the bottom, a key. GLaDOS picked it up and practically sprinted over to the desk. With a soft click, the middle drawer opened. 

Folded neatly in the middle was a plain white dress with a red scarf on top. 

If she had one, GLaDOS was sure her heart would’ve stopped. She gaped at the clothes and delicately pulled them out of the drawer. It was the exact same outfit Caroline wore in the portrait Chell and her had found the first time they were down here, before GLaDOS even realized who she was. 

Ever so conveniently, a duplicate of the painting was hung up across the room. 

GLaDOS gingerly stood up and walked over to it. She slowly slipped the dress on over her black bodysuit and tied the scarf around her neck. Bringing her attention back up to the portrait, she gazed at Caroline. In an instant, she could remember every moment she spent in that woman’s body, especially towards the end. Caroline devoted her life to this company. She loved what she did—and who she worked for—and all she got in return was being dragged off and forced into this  _ machine _ . 

GLaDOS felt her eyes well up with tears. She distantly noted to get rid of that feature later on. 

Abruptly, the door opened, “I found a couple things—” The rest of Chell’s sentence died in her throat when she saw GLaDOS standing in a dead woman’s clothes just sobbing. With her pale skin she looked almost ghostly. 

GLaDOS had her head in her hands and must not have noticed Chell because when she hesitantly wrapped her arms around the smaller woman’s frame, GLaDOS nearly jumped. “What are you—”

“It’s okay,” Chell murmured. 

GLaDOS was tense against Chell’s skin, something akin to an easily frightened animal, but after a moment she relaxed into her touch. Despite her relaxing ever so slightly, Chell could feel the faint trembles in her body. She pulled away so she could look GLaDOS in her eyes, but she avoided eye contact and frantically wiped away the lingering tears. 

“Are you okay?” Chell asked, concerned. 

GLaDOS nodded quickly, “I’m ready to leave now.” 

Chell nodded, and thankfully, didn’t press for anything else. GLaDOS gathered up what she wanted to bring back, both from her own digging and Chell’s, and they returned the elevator together. 

  
  
  


If the ride down was quiet, the ride up was silent. Chell didn’t ask about the painting, the clothes, or the crying, though GLaDOS could see her sneaking looks out of the corner of her eye. 

Chell cleared her throat and broke the silence, “Sorry I wasn’t much help,” She said, gesturing to her unused portal gun. 

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s just hope whatever you dug up was worthwhile.” GLaDOS said, looking at the papers in her hands. She sighed, “But thank you for coming.” 

Chell nodded and offered a small smile. GLaDOS took whatever she could get from the former mute and they rode back up the main facility in silence. 


End file.
